Revision no.

: PPT/2K605/03
PPT/2K403/02

Display Interface and Monitor

 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Video Display

• The video subsystem of a PC

consists of two main

components:

– Monitor (or video display). The

monitor can be either a CRT or an

LCD panel.

– Video adapter (also called the

video card or graphics adapter).

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Video Display (contd.)

• How CRT Display Technology Works

– CRTs consist of a vacuum tube
enclosed in glass.

– One end of the tube contains an

electron gun assembly and the other
When struck by the
end contains a screen with beam, the phosphor
phosphorous coating. glows.
The phosphor
– When heated, the electron gun emits a chemical has a
quality called
stream of high-speed electrons that are persistence, which
attracted to the other end of the tube. indicates how long
this glow remains on
screen.
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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Video Display (contd.)

• Refresh Rate

– The speed at which the electron beam moves across the screen is

known as the horizontal refresh rate (HRR).

– The amount of time it takes to draw the entire screen and get the

electron guns back up to the upper-left corner is called the

vertical refresh rate (VRR).

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Video Display (contd.)

• Phosphors and Shadow Mask

– All CRT monitors contain dots of phosphorous or some other

light-sensitive compound that glows red, green, or blue when an

electron gun sweeps over them.

– Each dot is called a phosphor.

– Directly behind the phosphors is the shadow mask, a screen that

enables only the proper electron gun to light the proper

phosphors.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Video Display (contd.)

• Resolution
– Monitor resolution is always shown as the number of horizontal
pixels times the number of vertical pixels.
– The horizontal refresh rate (HRR) defines the speed at which the
monitor can draw one line on the screen.

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Video Display (contd.)

– While the vertical refresh rate (VRR) defines how many times per

second the entire screen is redrawn.

– These values relate to the number of vertical resolution lines, as

follows:

• HRR = (VRR) x (number of lines), so (number of lines) = (HRR) ÷ (VRR)

– Given the HRR and VRR, you can determine the maximum number

of lines of resolution a monitor can support.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Video Display (contd.)

• Dot Pitch

– The dot pitch defines the diagonal distance between phosphorous

dots of the same color, and is measured in millimeters.

– Lower dot pitch means more dots on the screen, it usually

produces a sharper, more defined image.

– The dot pitch can range from as high as .39 mm to as low as .18

mm.

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Video Display (contd.)

• Interlacing
– Some low-end Monitors produce interlaced images, means that
the monitor sweeps or refreshes alternate lines of pixels on the
display.

– Interlacing is a way of creating eyestrain and headaches, and

should be avoided.

• Bandwidth
– Bandwidth defines the maximum number of times the electron
gun can be turned on and off per second.

– Bandwidth is measured in megahertz (MHz).

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria

• Right Size
– The most common CRT monitor sizes are 15, 17, 19, and 21
inches.
– The following table shows Monitor size and actual viewing Area
– Monitor CRT Size (in Inches) Actual Viewing Area (inches)
12 10 1/2
– 14 12 1/2
– 15 13 1/2
– 16 14 1/2
– 17 15 1/2
– 18 16 1/2
– 19 17 1/2
– 20 18 1/2
– 21 19 1/2
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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• Monitor Resolution
– The following tables shows standard resolutions used in PC video
adapters ;
– Resolution Abbreviation Standard Designation
– 640x480 VGA Video Graphics Array
– 800x600 SVGA Super VGA
– 1,024x768 XGA eXtended Graphics Array
– 1,280x1,024 UVGA Ultra VGA
– 1,600x1,200 (none) (none)
• Color
– Monochrome monitors display images in a single color on a dark
background.
– They are generally available in green, amber, or white.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• Video Adapter Types

– The signals that run to your monitor come from a video adapter

inside or plugged into your computer.

– The three ways computer systems connect to either CRT or LCD

displays are as follows:

• Add-on video cards.

• Video-only chipset on motherboard.

• Motherboard chipset with integrated video.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• Display Adapters
– Following shows some video standards:
• MDA VIDEO STANDARD :

• Resolution of 720x350,text-only (no graphics) standard.

• Hercules Video Standard:

• Monochrome adapter capable of high resolution (720x348) text and

graphics.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• CGA Video Standard :

• Produces text and graphics in two modes; choose four colors from a
palette of 16 with 320x200 resolution, or two colors with 640x200
resolution.

• EGA Video Standard :

• Produces sharp text and graphics in 16 colors from a palette of 64
colors with 640x350 resolution.

• MCGA Video Standard :

• It produces sharp text and graphics in several modes and 256 colors
from a palette of 256,000 colors with 320x200 resolution.
• Two-color display has 640x480 resolution.
• MCGA also offers 320-200 resolution with 64 shades of gray.

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Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• Video Graphics Array

– The VGA BIOS (basic input/output
system) is the control software residing
in the system ROM for controlling VGA
circuits.
– A standard VGA card displays up to 256
colors onscreen, from a palette of
262,144 (256KB) colors.
– When used in the 640x480 graphics or
720x400 text mode, 16 colors at a time
can be displayed.
– VGA outputs an analog signal, you must
have a monitor that accepts an analog
input
– Pin Configuration of VGA Connector
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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

– 1 Red out 6 Red return (ground) 11 Monitor ID 0 in

– 2 Green out 7 Green return (ground) 12 Monitor ID 1 in or
data from display
– 3 Blue out 8Blue return (ground) 13 Horizontal Sync out
– 4 Unused 9 14 Vertical Sync
– 5 Ground 10 Sync return (ground) 15 Monitor ID 3 in or
data clock
• Super VGA
– SVGA provides capabilities that surpass those offered by the VGA
adapter.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• VESA SVGA Standards

– Standard for a uniform programmer's interface for SVGA cards
known as the VESA BIOS extension (VBE).

– VBE supports resolutions up to 1,280x1,024 and color depths up

to 24-bit (16.8 million colors), depending on the mode selected
and the memory on the video card.

– Today, VBE support primarily for real-mode DOS applications,

older games, and for non-Microsoft operating systems, that need
to access higher resolutions and color depths

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• VGA Desktop Monitor

– Digital signals from the operating environment or application
software are received by VGA adapter.
– The adapter runs the signals through a circuit called a digital-to-
analog converter(DAC).
– The adapter sends signals to three electron guns located at the
back of the monitor's cathode-ray tube (CRT).
– The intensity of each stream is controlled by the signals from the
adapter.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• LCD Displays
– LCDs have low-glare, completely flat screens and low power
requirements
– The color quality of an active-matrix LCD panel actually exceeds
that of most CRT displays.
– Three basic LCD choices are available today on notebook
computers:
• passive-matrix color
• active matrix analog color
• latest-active-matrix digital
– Desktop LCD panels are analog or digital active-matrix units.
– The passive-matrix color panels are primarily found in low-cost
notebook computer displays or in industrial-use desktop display
panels.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Monitor Selection Criteria (contd.)

• Flat-Panel LCD Displays

– LCD desktop monitors offer the following benefits over
conventional CRT "glass tube" monitors:
– Virtually 100% of LCD size is viewable area .
– Small front-to-back dimensions free up desk space.
– Removable bases on some models enable the screen to be
mounted on a wall or stand
– Low power consumption and less heat buildup make LCD units
less expensive to operate.
– Because LCD units lack a CRT, no concerns exist about
electromagnetic emissions.
– A number of LCD panels offer a pivoting feature, enabling the unit
to swivel 90 degree.
– LCD panels weigh substantially less than comparably sized CRTs.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Changing a Video Driver

• To install a new video driver, just follow these steps:

– Select Start > Settings > Control Panel and click the Display icon.
– Click the Settings tab and then the Advanced button. This opens
even more settings. Click the Adapter tab here.
– The Adapter page shows the name of the video card and
something about its features. Click the Change button.
– The Update Device Driver Wizard will launch and search for
updated drivers.
• Optimizing Video Settings
– To modify your video settings you need to open Display
Properties.
– Clicking the Display icon in the Control Panel. (right-click on a
blank spot on the desktop and select Properties from the pop-up
menu.)
– Then click the Settings tab.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Changing a Video Driver (contd.)

• Making Advanced Changes

– Setting page is a button labeled Advanced.
– Click this button to get to additional pages for video
configuration.

• Monitor
– If you change your monitor, you usually only need to plug it in and
start Windows 98.
– The monitor will be detected and correctly installed.
– If monitor is not correctly detected,Click the Change button and
then supply the name of the manufacturer and the model.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K605/03

Multiple Monitors

– Windows 98/Me support up to nine monitors (and video adapters),

– Windows 2000 supports up to 10 monitors and video adapters.
– Windows XP Professional will also support multiple monitors with
its Dual View feature, but Windows XP Home Edition will not.
– When Windows 98/Me or Windows 2000 system use multiple
monitors, the operating system creates a virtual desktop-that is, a
display that exists in video memory that can be larger than the
image actually displayed on a single monitor.
– To install support for multiple monitors, install one adapter first,
then reboot the system, and install each additional adapter one at
a time.
– After hardware is place, configure the display for each monitor
from the Display control panel’s settings.

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